U.S. Dept. of State - IIP: The United States and China

Text: House Passes Taiwan-World Health Organization Bill 407-0
(H.R. 428 passes in roll call vote)

The House of Representatives voted 407-0 April 24 for a bill that would direct the Secretary of State to initiate a plan to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the May 2001 annual meeting of the World Health Organization in Geneva.

"Not later than 14 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a written report to the Congress in unclassified form containing the plan," reads the text of H.R. 428.

The bill was forwarded to the Senate the following day, where it was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Following is the text of H.R. 428, as passed by the House of Representatives April 24, from the Congressional Record:

107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 428
AN ACT
Concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO).

(1) Good health is a basic right for every citizen of the world and access to the highest standards of health information and services is necessary to help guarantee this right.

(2) Direct and unobstructed participation in international health cooperation forums and programs is therefore crucial for all parts of the world, especially with today's greater potential for the cross-border spread of various infectious diseases such as AIDS.

(3) Taiwan's population of 23,500,000 people is larger than that of 3/4 of the member states already in the World Health Organization (WHO).

(4) Taiwan's achievements in the field of health are substantial, including one of the highest life expectancy levels in Asia, maternal and infant mortality rates comparable to those of western countries, the eradication of such infectious diseases as cholera, smallpox, and the plague, and the first to be rid of polio and to provide children with free hepatitis B vaccinations.

(5) The United States Centers for Disease Control and its Taiwan counterpart agencies have enjoyed close collaboration on a wide range of public health issues.

(6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a willingness to assist financially and technically in international aid and health activities supported by the WHO.

(7) On January 14, 2001, an earthquake, registering between 7.6 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, struck El Salvador. In response, the Taiwanese government sent 2 rescue teams, consisting of 90 individuals specializing in firefighting, medicine, and civil engineering. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also donated $200,000 in relief aid to the Salvadoran Government.

(8) The World Health Assembly has allowed observers to participate in the activities of the organization, including the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1974, the Order of Malta, and the Holy See in the early 1950's.

(9) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations.

(10) Public Law 106-137 required the Secretary of State to submit a report to the Congress on efforts by the executive branch to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, in particular the WHO.

(11) In light of all the benefits that Taiwan's participation in the WHO can bring to the state of health not only in Taiwan, but also regionally and globally, Taiwan and its 23,500,000 people should have appropriate and meaningful participation in the WHO.

(b) PLAN- The Secretary of State shall initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland, and shall instruct the United States delegation to Geneva to implement that plan.

(c) REPORT- Not later than 14 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a written report to the Congress in unclassified form containing the plan required under subsection (b).

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)